The Wonders of Coffee
by i am ghost
Summary: GaaNeji It only took one look at those gorgeous white eyes for Gaara to fall in love...There was only one problem though, those eyes were blind. AU, eventual YAOI.
1. Prelude

**The wonders of coffee**

**By:** I am ghost

**Disclaimer:** I DON'T OWN!

**Summary: **_Slash, eventual Yaoi._ Neji has a lot of troubles going on in his life. First of all, he was blind, his parents were dead and he was under the enormous shadow of his uncle, who was way too demanding for him. He struggles to accomplish the expectations set upon him, but his uncle decides to move away from his beloved land to live in a foreign country, there he faces a rebellious stage of his life. He meets Gaara, a troubled young man that works on a local coffee shop and they are instantly drawn together; but even though the redhead flirted with him rather shamelessly, the innocent brunet is quite unaware of the fact that this redhead has an obsession with him...but then again, what will he do once he discovers this fact?

**_--_**

**_PRELUDE_**

* * *

"_What you lose in __blindness__ is the space around you, the place where you are, and without that you might not exist. You could be nowhere at all.__" -Barbara Kingsolver_

_-_

* * *

_D__arkness…_

That was the only thing I was able to see since the very beginning of my existence, lurking obscurity surrounding me and then trapping me into a world of inexistent reality.

When I was still a newborn, I was diagnosed with Leber's Congenital Amaurosis, which is an inherited disease that involves severe sight loss if not complete blindness; in the official scale of severity concerning LCA, my case was one of the worst, for I could only distinguish spots of darkness and the occasional flicker of light but nothing more detailed.

When I was five, I got a visit from the ophthalmologist. He ran some tests and once he finished he said that I still got a chance to at least extend my sight span, but even through all the electro-diagnostic testing I was placed under (which were extremely painful), my case only worsened to the point that I needed to use a cane.

I no longer could see _light_.

When I was roughly eight years old, I saw a flash of daylight while waking up, but it was gone just as quick and accidental as it had appeared.

I got really excited, I opened and closed my eyes several times, trying to bring back that speckle of hope, and how great my misery was once I eagerly scrubbed my eyes and pried them open for the twentieth time that morning in the desperate hopes of discovering the mysterious world around me only to be greeted by the same persistent darkness; the taunting shadows unlimited and ubiquitous, pulling me into the nightmare I couldn't escape from.

I fought against my illness three more years, but despite all my attempts, my eyes have remained the same, unaltered through the years even though I had been treated by the best ophthalmologists all around the globe; so I decided to surrender once I reached my eleventh birthday.

I lost all hope; I made it known to my family that I would end my unreachable pursuit of gaining sight during the weekly family gathering. In all my childish naïveté, I wanted them to strongly disagree with my will and order me to never give up, but they accepted my decision without much of a comforting embrace or soothing words. After all, it was very common in my family, diseases far worse than blindness ran through their veins like poison, and aloof cruelty was one of them.

I had come to accept my faith some time later and attempted to perceive things from another point of view, trying hard not to sulk and be grateful for the positive things in my life, but try as I might, I couldn't really find a reason to be grateful; clearly I wasn't god's favorite son for my life was plagued with tragedy. First my blindness, then losing my mother…and then my grieving father followed suit, being tired of living a life he had lost all hope in, leaving me all alone in a world of uncertainty and loneliness; that is until my uncle decided to take care of me, noticing that I could be a potential heir, for his only off springs were female and that didn't work with the overly chauvinistic and primitive tradition our family worked under.

Everything changed now that my father was dead and I was under my uncle's care. Since I no longer had parents, my uncle wanted me to be properly educated so I could run the family business once he retired, but given that I couldn't attend a normal school because of my long term disease, he had taken the bother to find me the best tutors in Japan, encouraging me to be an excellent student in his own demanding and cold way.

For fourteen years of my life my eyes had remained dull and lifeless, but due to my disability, I had naturally grown in other aspects. In view of the fact that I couldn't depend on sight at all, my remaining senses had sharpened over years of hardship, now I was able to rely comfortably in my acute hearing, to read with my hands, to sense my spaces with a cane and I had a better than average orientation.

When I approached my fifteenth birthday, a job offer had interested my uncle, who was a very successful business man albeit his sightlessness; and he had accepted it without preamble. I didn't care much, for my uncle accepted job offers quite often, that is until he took the trouble to speak about it.

He told me there was only one small inconvenience about it, and involved us moving to Europe.

…England, to be exact.

I had strongly disagreed, for I was scared to go to a foreign land but I had no choice but to accept the new twist my life would take, since he possessed the power to order me around. Little did I know that this would be the trigger to something much bigger and unexpected that wasn't originally in my plans, or in any of my uncle's plans.

I have been living in England for one year now and I had come to like it; the cold and rainy weather, the busy atmosphere, the polite people and the eating habits. I had learnt the language to perfection and I felt comfortable enough to wonder around by myself with no assistance in the gigantic country manor my uncle bought.

I still didn't understood why Uncle Hiashi purchased such a luxurious home if we weren't able to see it, anyways; I think he did it just to impress his potential business partners.

In the first month of that very same year, my uncle heard about guide dogs whilst in the middle of a casual banter with some coworkers, and he got quite interested by the idea; so one day later, he came home with that curious four pawed creature by his side. He introduced me to the dog and told me to consider it as a consolation gift.

I was reluctant at first but I accepted the unexpected gift like Japanese custom stipulated. And I can say I never regretted it; because it had soon become the one that leaded me through all the nothingness and shadows to the places I wanted or needed to be, so the dog was pretty much my eyes in such a vast and dark world.

Today I ended up walking along the busy streets of London with only my guide dog leading me the way; I have been going for a few weeks to a small café in the very heart of the city, not a starbucks or another big coffee business, just a small cozy place where no sound could be heard, except the one of the cash register and the espresso machines. It was oddly comforting, to bask in such a silent place…for me at least, it was like floating in oblivion.

The dog stopped walking, signaling me that I have already reached my destination, so I adjusted my glasses and overcoat before I took the handle and opened the door.

There was the distinctive sound of the doorbell as I stepped inside, and as soon as I had stepped into the warm place, the strong smell of coffee wafted through my nose pleasantly.

"The usual?" a husky baritone voice asked as I made my way to the cash register. I offered a weary smile, and gave a slight nod. "£2.05" the gruff voice replied.

Oh how I liked that male's boldness; he took the liberty to go straight to the point without the usually fake politeness every employee used to a customer. The honesty was brutal and I loved it.

"Of course" I replied, taking out some well measured bills out of my wallet, offering them to the already awaiting hand.

As I placed the money on his outstretched hand, our skin made contact. Feverish hot against ice cold, and I shrank back my hand as quick as I could without being rude.

The contact was obviously brief and unromantic, but every time it was the same…with each accidental brush of our hands I would feel the same strange feeling in my skin, as if it had been struck by electricity.

"Take a seat, I'll make it in a sec…" the masculine voice commanded, and I only nodded stupidly before I made my way to my favorite seat, one comfortable armchair near the warmth of the chimney.

Some shuffling was heard, and I had the strange feeling that I was the only client in the café. There wasn't the usual sound of laptop's keyboards being hit, or the occasional turn of a page of a book.

But I didn't care at all.

The familiar sound of the espresso machine drowned my hearing as I made myself comfortable on the armchair.

"Latte Macchiato, with skinned milk, and vanilla syrup" the same lovely voice said, as the unknown male placed the hot beverage in the small coffee table in front of me. I bowed my head in a gratitude gesture, like the good Japanese person I am. I heard more shuffling sounds, as if someone had pulled a chair next to mine; I arched an eyebrow, well, this was no common occurrence.

"I'm bored" was the only revelation I had been provided. I couldn't help but let a smile form on my lips.

My dog collapsed on the floor right next to me and licked my hand with its slimy tongue. I quickly withdrew my hand with a startled yelp that sounded highly effeminate.

I cursed under my breath; well, this was getting awkward. I thought of many ways to stark conversation, but I ended up saying the most intelligent one of them all…

"I see…" really, it wasn't much of an icebreaker, but I couldn't help it, I accept I'm guilty for being socially awkward, for the only human contact I have been exposed to had been with my family, and they didn't talk much…except Hanabi…and well, I did my best to avoid her because of her sharp tongue and rude demeanor.

Heavy silence ensued, I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Isn't it supposed to be full? It's Friday…" I asked, hoping that my comment would kill the awkward silence, but it was just as lame as the typical weather one.

"Well, this place isn't very popular; with all the _silence_ policy, teenagers avoid this place like a plague" the other male answered, shifting a little bit more before continuing talking.

"The only people that come here are usually business men or some readers…and you…, you are the youngest costumer, you know?" he had replied in a boring fashion.

I didn't know if that was a compliment or just a mere observation, so I decided to ignore it.

"I like the silence...besides…aren't you supposed not to be talking?" I asked defensively, but to my utter surprise, the other male merely snorted in a casual manner.

"We are the only ones in this place…besides, it's not as if I'm going to get punished" his sultry voice cut the dead silence like a knife.

"By the way…The name's Gaara" he said offhandedly, and I swear I could even hear the smug smirk in his lips. I felt oddly breathless.

"Hyuga Neji" I stretched my hand and his warm one took mine with no hesitation. There was that electric shock again.

I withdrew my hand abruptly and opened my mouth to apologize for the previous aggressive comment, but my cell phone went off, so I fished into my jeans pockets for the devise and sent him an apologetic smile as I pushed the "talk" button.

Before I had time to utter a greeting, a cold and firm voice cut in.

"…_it's late. I expect you here in half an hour…the chauffer is waiting for you in the meeting place"_ I opened my mouth to disagree but the line went dead just after my uncle had finished talking.

I frowned and smashed the off button. As much as I am grateful for all the luxuries and opportunities provided by my uncle, I never got accustomed to his overly imposing personality.

"I need to get going…my family expects me home. It was nice to meet you, Gaara" I stood up and bowed politely.

"Come on, Chelsea..." I muttered to the lazy animal and tugged the leash. The dog sprang to its paws and guided me towards the door.

Just when I was about to pull the door handle, a hand clutched my arm, preventing me from moving. Trepidation overflowed me as I felt him standing dangerously close to me, his body warmth and sweet fragrance lulling my mind into a hazy sort of trance. I opened my mouth to protest, but I couldn't formulate words in that muddled brain of mine.

"…your coffee" the sensuous voice whispered in my ear as the cylinder was pushed gently to my unoccupied hand. I shivered as his hot breath caressed my overly sensitive skin, but his warmth was gone once he had delivered the drink; leaving me completely flustered and exposed.

I blinked repeatedly, too besieged to make a movement, let alone think of what was I to do.

Still in a daze, I opened the door and stumbled outside without my characteristic gracefulness and followed the dog towards the place my uncle had ordered me to go. The already waiting chauffer greeted me politely and opened the door for me.

I fastened my seatbelt and the chauffer closed the doors, but it was just when the engine roared to life when the spell casted upon me wore off and my sharp and analytical mind returned from the dead.

The moment it did I frowned.

I didn't like it, the way I had felt…so overpowered just by a single touch from him, overwhelmed by his proximity, mesmerized by his voice, bewitched by his intoxicating scent…I barely knew this man, yet he had that much power over me. It was dangerous waters I was threading through if I dared to go to that coffee shop again, but I refused to stop going to my favorite place just because of one single person.

_I refused. _

* * *

Aquamarine eyes stared at the floor while the owner of said eyes daydreamed, head floating high on cloud nine as he remembered white as porcelain skin that looked just as smooth and delicate as a rose petal, inky dark hair that was long and had a healthy glossy shine, giving it the appearance of fine silk, light pink lips that were thin but deliciously plump and a straight aristocratic nose that perked slightly at the tip...and he wondered, what kind of eyes the person he was daydreaming about possessed? The mysterious customer always wore big dark sunglasses (that were too big for his liking), hiding the eyes he wanted to see so desperately...

What color would they be? blue or green? or maybe gray or black or brown...big or small? round or slanted? ...he had the vague idea that they would be slanted because said costumer had an Asian air hanging around him. The suspense was killing him, and he sadly accepted that he had wanted (more than once) to pull away the offending dark plastic eyewear so he could admire those eyes more openly.

Overall, he was quite mesmerized by said mysterious male, and this fascination had compelled him to talk to him! as in actually _talking!_ he, Sabaku Gaara, the human being with the lack of sensibility that was only rivaled by a rock had started a conversation, and even worse...he had flirted oh so shamelessly that even an alien with no knowledge in human interaction would have noticed...but that brunet didn't... and that frustrated him to no end; as if he hadn't been blatant enough. Hell, he could have shouted it out loud and the oblivious boy wouldn't have noticed.

He was still quite shocked by the whole ordeal, he couldn't quite comprehend why he had actually done it. It was outrageous for someone like him to start a civilized conversation with another human being, given the communication disability he was widely known to have.

He was so engrossed by his thought that he didn't notice a blond with a latent dreadful sense of fashion entering the building; his orange and blue outfit clashing horribly with the elegant decor of the building.

"GOOD AFTY!" the blond cried loudly while flinging his arms around himself frantically, looking like an awkward baby bird learning to fly. The male behind the cash register merely growled, rolling his aquamarine eyes in an annoyed fashion.

"…and I thought I was starting to like this place…" the boy muttered under his breath. The blond merely stretched his lips into an ear-splitting smile.

"Why, is my dear socially inept buddy grumpy today?"

"…it wouldn't be a surprise" a deep baritone voice drawled as a dark haired boy entered the establishment, his black eyes throwing a pointed look at the rather empty coffee shop.

"Did you threaten the costumers with slow painful murder again, Gaara?" he asked with raised eyebrows, taking off his expensive looking leather jacket and flinging it over a coat closet nearby.

"Did you remember yesterday to actually close the forsaken broom closet before you snogged Naruto?" the aquamarine eyed boy countered smartly, his ever grim pink lips quirking upwards with malice. "Oh, wait… NO!" he deadpanned, a full blown smirk stretching his lips.

The blonds' cheeks flushed a furious red whilst the dark haired boy frowned and threw a cautious look behind his back before facing the aforementioned boy with a glare.

"Shut up! …I told you not to talk about that matter so openly" he snarled, dark eyes gleaming dangerously. The redhead merely smirked, clearly unaffected.

"Oh, sorry…it must have _slipped_" he replied in mock dreading, emphasizing out the last word for extra effect. The blond boy scratched the back of his neck, his Cheshire-cat smirk wavering with worry as he looked at both males, noticing how they were glaring at each other as if they wanted to strangle the other to death.

"Uhm…CHOCOLATE!" He cried, effectively capturing both their attention.

"Excuse me?" the dark haired boy asked, clearly confused.

"I… I like chocolate because it's so…so…"

"_chocolaty_" he blurted, provoking the lifting of two pairs of eyebrows.

"What?" they both asked, obviously dumbfounded, all ill intent forgotten as they stared blankly at the blond. A fly flew by and landed obnoxiously in front of the redhead.

One long uncomfortable minute passed and they held the same befuddled expression, their eyebrows still raised high on their forehead until the male named Gaara dropped his head and shook it silently, sending chunks of fiery hair all around his face.

"Sometimes I ask myself why the hell I waste my time in here" the redhead finally stated, sighing dramatically as the dark haired boy merely blinked.

"…and then, wait! It all suddenly makes sense to me…" the redhead rolled his eyes before continuing, sarcasm heavily laced in his voice. "It must be the money"

The blond pouted, looking highly unpleased.

"You're cruel" he finally stated, stripping out of his long orange coat (the type of orange that could make any normal person blind) and hanging it inside the closet.

"…god must hate me" the redhead muttered, now knocking his forehead repeatedly against the cool granite counter.

Just then, a leather globed hand pushed the door open and a tall and elegantly dressed body pushed itself forward, expensive oxford shoes clacking against the wooden door.

A globed finger pushed up the bridge of a pair of stylish sunglasses, a dark eyebrow rising upon a quick scan of the almost empty room.

"Did you threaten the costumers with slow painful murder again, Gaara?" a rich voice asked as leather clad hands took the expensive glasses off, revealing a pair of burgundy eyes.

The redhead merely growled, his black rimmed eyes narrowed with sheer despite.

"I forgot you were rather primitive" the older male drawled, his lips set into a mocking smile. Gaara sent him a dirty look.

"I hate you"

The smirk on the older male stretched further, giving him a rather menacing appearance.

"Oh look! He knows how to speak" the much younger dark haired boy stated casually while he tied the apron around his hips.

"Shut up, Uchiha!"

Both dark haired males stared at each other for some moments before both smiled creepily.

"That was a good one, little brother" he casually stated before ruffling the younger boy's hair.

"Itachi…get your fucking hands out of my hair!" the younger Uchiha spat, sending a furious glare to his older brother.

"My, my, such foul language little brother…please refrain from speaking in that vulgar manner again or I'll make sure you won't get any money out of this"

Now it was time for the younger Uchiha to growl.

Gaara smirked. _Sweet vengeance _

* * *

Dead eyes stared forward expectantly as a balled fist knocked softly against the wooden door in front. A cold "come in" seeped out from the inside of the room. Neji bit his lower lip as he fumbled for the metallic doorknob and pulled. He knew the instant he dared to step inside, he would be lectured endlessly by his uncle, and quite frankly, he wasn't in the mood for it, but as long as he was under his uncle's care, he had no other choice but to comply.

"Did you request my presence, Uncle?" He asked smoothly, standing on the threshold with his head held high, standing as graceful as a human being could ever be.

"Take a seat, please" the older male commanded in polished and flawless English. Neji did as he was told; he walked forward confidently until his hand found the back of the chair, the panting dog trailing lazily behind him, its long pink tongue hanging out of its mouth.

Neji plopped down on the cushioned chair, knowing well that his infuriated uncle was seated just across from him, looking almost like a lion ready to strike.

A few minutes of thick uncomfortable silence ensued as both blind men sat with their backs as straight as a ruler and their faces expressionless. Neji clearly recognized the moment as the calm before the storm.

"You didn't ask for permission" the older male stated imperiously. Neji couldn't help but sigh.

Yes, definitely, the calm before the storm.

"I am old enough to go outside without your permission" he deadpanned.

"…you didn't take your walking cane with you" the other alleged coldly. Neji rolled his eyes behind his dark glasses.

"So? …Chelsea guided me"

Neji could tell by the tense silence that his uncle was gritting his teeth, deeply angered.

"That's why I've actually requested your presence for, Neji" he hissed, digging his hand on his long dark hair.

"Your attitude has changed greatly, you're getting rebellious…and I'm getting worried"

Neji frowned.

"Just because I decided to take a walk by my own you think I am a rebel?" he cried, clearly angered.

"Don't talk to me that way, Neji" his uncle commanded coolly, dark eyebrows furrowed before he continued to talk.

"Do you know how preposterously childish your actions were?" he asked, glaring furiously at some point over said boy's head.

"For the love of god, uncle! I was just outside, drinking coffee"

The older male stood up from his chair rather abruptly.

"You could have been mugged! Or even worse…do you know how vulnerable you are without your cane…and even worse…what would you do if you lose Chelsea?"

His perfect English had become fractured and harsh, almost incomprehensive in the midst of his fury. The younger male merely snorted.

"Please, uncle…I have a phone…I can talk to you if anything goes wrong"

Politeness gone, the older Hyuuga walked in front of Neji's chair, glaring at the boy's head.

"Why do you keep that stupid idea of going out without assistance?" he asked.

Neji 's frown deepened.

"I want to be free…if only for just a second!" he snapped, pushing himself out of his own chair.

"What are you talking about, Neji? You have all the freedom I can provide you"

"I can't go anywhere alone, I have to be always by the side of a servant or a family member…as if I was some incapacitated human being!"

The older male took a step forward, standing face to face to the much younger boy.

"Because that's what you are, Neji…that's what WE are… please stop refusing the truth!"

Neji growled, pushing the much older family head back.

"How dare you?!" he yelled in furious Japanese, looking as if his uncle had just punched him in the face.

"You are blind and that's something you have to get used to, Neji!" his uncle yelled in fragmented and desperate Japanese.

"You can't stop me…" the proud teenager hissed through clenched teeth, eyes glowing with deep animosity before he stomped out of the room, yanking at the leash of his dog and shutting the door hard in his uncle's face.

"Neji, we haven't finished this discussion!" His uncle yelled, opening the door just to hear deadly silence, Neji's proud presence long gone.

Hiashi dropped his eyes close and sighed deeply, trying to keep his desperation and anguish on the inside so he could wear the beautiful and icy mask of indifference he was quite familiar with.

But he couldn't help but clench his fists in anger.

_What happened to the compliant and humble boy I raised? _

He asked himself as he took the doorknob, hesitating for a brief moment before he closed the door silently and trudged to his puffy leather office chair and let himself fall tiredly over it.

* * *

Once inside his enormous bedroom, Neji let himself slide down the door he had pressed himself against, his eyes staring brokenly at the shadows he was so accustomed to see, frustrating himself further when he couldn't afford to even catch a glimpse of the world he had been deprived to see since birth.

"_There's still hope…there's still hope for me…" _He whispered over and over again, like a new form of personal mantra, hoping desperately that one day his only dream would become true; his dream of one day waking up and see, see the morning light creeping through the curtains of his bedroom and see the sky, the trees, the buildings, houses and gardens…like the wonderful sceneries provided by the books he had read in Braille.

But dreams never came true…and that's what really hurt him the most.

* * *

**AN:** Ok, so this is pretty much a new project I started to write some weeks ago. While i was enjoying a caramel macchiato in Starbucks, I couldn't help but wander...since coffee is one of my passions and YAOI is another...why not mix them?

...random comment: yes, Gaara is aware of Neji's blindness.

Click the magical button and review!! don't by shy (_or lazy_...xD) anyhow, your points of view are greatly appreciated.


	2. 1 Unexpected

A/N: FINALLY I UPLOADED A CHAPTER! ...please don't hurt me...I was just being the procastinator proffesional that i am...so anyways, i hope this chapter is of your liking, and please do update! I'm hoping for at least 10 REVIEWS per Chapter, so please don't be mean :P

DISCLAIMER: i do not own...that's quite simple.

A/N: REVIEW AND ENJOY!

* * *

"_How I wish you could see the potential_

_The potential of you and me_

_It's like a book elegantly bound_

_But in a language that you can't read just yet"_

_I will possess your heart_- _death cab for cutie_

* * *

1

"unexpected"

First it was pain, intense pain in form of a sharp headache, it was swift and unexpected, just like a blow to the gut from an unseen enemy, but it was enough for him to drop whatever he had in hand and clutch at his head, it was horrible, unbearably so and then…there was noise, horribly loud noises pervading the air.

…around, besides, above…everywhere, disorienting him, obscuring his mind and driving him to unfamiliar spaces; he fell to his knees, but the panic of having lost his guide dog's leash was enough for him to forget the momentary pain and he promptly searched for it, vaguely registering the sound of people walking besides him but none of them tried to help, he was fully ignored, but what really appalled him was the fact that he couldn't find anything. He tried calling the dog, _Chelsea,_ but there was nothing but empty space where his dog should be waiting. He was alone.

He stumbled upwards, finding no leverage as he tried to stand up straight. The almost deafening noises of people speaking and walking, the distant wails of a child, the clacking noises of high heels and the fumes of stale food, coffee and smog were all heightened to unbearable levels to the poor boy; he covered his ears in a failed attempt to lessen the effect, but his blind eyes had become wet with tears of pain. Breathing had become labored as he tried not to panic… the mixture of oversensitive senses were starting to make him feel ill… thoroughly nauseated and disoriented.

He took small, uncertain steps until he reached the coarse wall of some building before he leant against it, and he vaguely registered tears sliding down the planes of his cheekbones, he lifted shaky hands to touch his face with a startled expression, noticing that it was naked, devoid of the pair of sunglasses he always used. He probably lost them too while searching for his dog…damn, it seemed that this really wasn't his day.

…as much as he hated to admit, he knew he shouldn't have disobeyed his uncle, he shouldn't have stormed away from home, if he hadn't been so proud and followed his common sense to pursue the rules that were set upon him he wouldn't have been under this distressing situation, he would be in his comfy house reading yet another book near the warmth of the chimney.

But Alas, who would have thought that destiny could be so cruel as to mock him with such situation, that what he had fought for would go against him later on…the brunet winced when he remembered the scene that had taken place during brunch.

_He was seating on his place at the rather large and ostentatious dinner table, eating his apple cinnamon French toast and drinking orange juice daintily, pointedly ignoring the feeling of a hard intense stare directed at him. Hinata and Hanabi sat right next to him, eating silently and exchanging knowing looks, the tense atmosphere affecting both girls to silent contemplation._

_His uncle, after taking a bite of his omelet, decided to speak._

"_Neji…you are not allowed to go out today" he spoke impassively, not scared at all if his nephew decided to throw a tantrum at the dining table. Hinata exchanged worried glances with her younger sister, both not daring to say anything or even continue eating._

_The addressed teenager halted all movement, the silver fork poised right in front of his mouth, his other hand gripping tightly the sleek handle of his knife. Ire quickly possessed the teen but before he could be completely controlled by it, he let himself calm down. He quietly positioned his fork and knife on the table top and wiped his mouth clean with a cloth napkin with regal movements. Then he looked up and spoke;_

"_I'm afraid I have a disagreement with you, uncle" he said, taking his sweet time by taking a sip of his orange juice before continuing. _

"_I wish to go out today" he said casually before he took a small bit of French toast to his mouth._

_Even though his words were spoken with utmost politeness and his voice was gentle and sweet, the sharp edge to his voice and the clenching of his jaw gave away his silent fury. _

_Hyuga Hiashi furrowed his eyebrows, not really liking the dark undertone in his nephew's voice._

"_I said you're not going out Neji, I don't want something unfortunate to happen to you for being so disobedient!" _

_The younger brunet jumped from the chair like a ferocious animal ready to attack, but the only thing he did was clench his fists tightly, toss his hair to the side disdainfully and leave. Close by the door, he threw one last poisonous glance at his uncle. _

"_You do not command me, I'm not __**your **__child" and with those words drawled out with finality, he left the dining room, food barely touched on the dinner plate._

_Both Hinata and Hanabi ventured anxious glances at their father, who, after Neji had left the dining room, merely lifted his mug of coffee and took a small sip, pointedly ignoring the intense stare of his children._

_Even though the silence had become unbearable, Hiashi continued to eat and drink impassively, but the tense grip on his silverware gave away his contempt._

_Neji stomped outside the house with a force of a tempestuous hurricane, clutching tightly Chelsea's leash and walking without a clear destination at mind; the only thoughts invading his head at the moment were that he wanted to prove wrong his uncle, to make him notice he was not a child anymore and that he was completely able of doing whatever he wanted with only the help of his dog and no one else, that he, Hyuga Neji, was very capable of accomplishing whatever he got into mind. _

_But the great Neji hadn't planned an activity or a place to go the instant he had so theatrically left the house and the teenager ended up seating on a bench in a park, mind blank and still savoring the bitter taste of the aftermath of his anger, and as he pelted Chelsea's head absentmindedly, he vaguely remembered he needed to go somewhere else, to appear to be occupied with something…just sitting there was pathetic and childish, just what a spoiled child would do to preoccupy his disagreeing parents, and he did not wanted to appear that way, even if he was actually doing it. _

_So where else could he go?_

_As he pondered of different destinations to be, a dark velvety voice that was as smooth as silk and masculine and terribly confident and the appealing scent of sandalwood and peppermint drifted inside his mind along with the exotic name Gaara. _

_The confused teenager felt the sudden quickening of his heartbeat when the first thing that came into mind was the mysterious coffee boy. Frowning and angry with himself, he tried to dispel his mind of such thinking, but of course, his overly analytical mind persuaded him into going to the coffee shop so he could both satisfy his secret need to see the older male and also kill some time. _

_Feeling a strange and sudden need to smile, he consented and with a small smile etched on his lips, beautiful Neji stood up from the bench and tugged at Chelsea's leash. Things could get better, he mused as he gave confident strides, looking as graceful and glamorous as a model on a fashion runway. _

_But what he did not know was that such a simple task like going to a coffee shop could go terribly awry. _

Neji cursed under his breath, not an action exactly approved by his judgment, but at times like these, cursing was acceptable.

Shaky hands darted forward to the floor, skin getting scrapped by the force he was employing, fingers outstretched, proving with sensitive fingertips in search for the lost item, but there was only cold concrete, his sunglasses nowhere to be found.

A small droplet of water fell on the tip of his nose, and then another against his cheek, and before he knew, he was under the assault of cold, merciless rain.

Blind eyes were desperate as he gazed up at the crying sky as no other but the proud Hyuga Neji prayed to whatever god that was up there for finding him a way to make things right, but quite obviously, his prayer was left unanswered. He released a long, shaky sigh, wiling himself to calm down but he was cold, painfully so, he tried to bring himself warmth by embracing himself tight, but it didn't work.

The young male bit his lower lip and let himself slide down the length of the wall, finally sitting down on the floor without a care for his expensive designer jeans.

He coolly assessed the situation, weighting down pros and cons and what could be done. No dog and certainly no cane so he couldn't walk all the way home, he had money, but not enough to pay for a cab, he didn't know the routes of the busses and he hadn't taken one in his whole life, so a bus was out of the question too…but there was a more important question that couldn't be avoided, which it was: Where the hell was he, in the first place?

People was rushing past him so they couldn't be any longer under the pouring rain, thoroughly ignoring his distress, as if he didn't exist…the street was cold and rapidly losing citizens, which were no doubt sheltering inside the warmth of their houses.

He released a long exaggerated sigh and dug his hands on the pockets of his drenched woolen coat, his lips chapped with the harshness of the wind, his body shuddering and his teeth clashing against each other loudly.

As he flexed his legs, he felt a small square digging on his side, the small square known as his cell phone. He quickly dug it out and lifted the lid, but his fingers hesitated on pressing the buttons he was aching to dial, he was highly tempted to call his family so they could send the chauffer, but he had pride, and telling his uncle about his situation would surely be the death of it, so, swallowing his want, he closed the lid and buried it again inside his jean's pocket, where he desired it would stay unused for the rest of the day.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall, and then, after a few minutes, the horrible headache stopped quite unexpectedly, and with it, his abnormal hyper-sensibility. He still kept himself in the same position, pondering on ways to go back home unharmed when he smelt it.

Apart from the humid, stale odors dancing in the air, a new alluring and refreshing scent was perceived by his nose, a scent that was oddly familiar but one he couldn't quite recognize, it expressed masculinity with a provocative and bold twist.

He tried to remember who the owner of said scent was, but he wasn't able, at least not when his head was a mess and when he was feeling so unnaturally anxious.

He heard the person approaching, a precise and long stride and quite steps that weren't rushed under the rainstorm, steps that were almost overpowered by the violent sound of splashing rain. Neji's heart skipped a beat when he was finally able to decipher who this person was, and now becoming very aware of his face being deprived of his essential pair of sunglasses, he closed his eyes, thick dark eyelashes caressing the skin just below his eyes as he remembered that there was nothing to cover his embarrassment…. of all the people he could have encountered, why it had to be _him_?

The growing sound of steps halted as an unsure form leant above him, denying him of the cold prickly rain momentarily.

"… … Neji, Is that you?" the older male finally asked after a full minute of staring, the brunet lowered his face, feeling utterly exposed to the man that made him feel strange inside.

He tried to talk but his throat felt dry, his heart was now pounding inside the cage of his chest, the strong sound very present on his pulsing ears.

"…yes" he finally managed to say, but the sound that came from his mouth was embarrassingly weak and hoarse, and he vaguely registered that his hair was now matted against his forehead and neck.

He took a deep breath and tried to recover his lost aloofness but how could he when he was feeling so nervous? He heard some shifting and the sound of plastic, shopping bags, two shopping bags by the sound of it and he took another discreet whiff, thoroughly surprised when he was able to register in his brain almost every single item inside those bags.

_A loaf of Bread, a ball of cheese, celery sticks, onions, bacon, a fresh slice of ham and a pack of cigarettes._

"What are you doing here, in the rain? Are you mad? Come on; let me take you to somewhere dry"

Cold, expecting hands grasped his own and then gently tugged at them, the brunet carefully stood up on wobbly legs and let himself be led, after some clumsy steps from his part and well defined instructions from the other male, they reached the open gates to an unknown building and then they stepped inside into what he assumed was the foyer.

"Bloody hell, you're drenched" the other mumbled quietly as he dropped his shopping bags on a stone counter, assessing the current state of his clothes with a quick glance before he took out something from the shopping bags, the unopened cigarette box, from the smell of it. The brunet wrinkled his nose in distaste, but said nothing. The redhead hesitated for a moment, unsure as in to smoke at the moment or wait, he threw a quick glance at the uncomfortable brunet and he did something unexpected: he pocketed the item. The brunet was very grateful about it.

"Where are we?" the Hyuuga asked tentatively, leaning the palms of his hands on the freezing cold stone of the counter. '_Marble_ ' he vaguely registered in his brain.

"You somehow managed to be near the building of my flat" the redhead replied casually, shaking off of his damp hair some droplets of rain and then closed something that he assumed was an umbrella.

"Oh…" was all the brunet managed to reply when he felt a face very close to his own, perusing eyes boring into him.

"Your sunglasses…what happened to them?" the redhead asked, leaning in further until their noses were almost touching.

"I lost them…"

Neji knew eyes were boring into his face but couldn't bring himself to turn away, it was as if the man had enchanted him, drew him in like a vampire would lure its pray before attacking, here was the mysterious man he was oddly interested in, leaning so close it was starting to make his cheeks burn with a furious blush he wouldn't admit had appeared.

Tentative fingertips met the sensitive skin of his closed eyelids, the touch extremely gentle and hesitant and barely existent, like one of a ghost, but the brunet felt it as if his skin was branded by hot iron.

An involuntary gasp escaped his lips, which were now slightly parted and flushed as well as his cheeks, offering a more tantalizing sight for the other male, who was still staring at him, admiring the new patch of skin revealed to him with such fascination it could rival the one of an archeologist upon finding new historical treasures.

"Why won't you open your eyes?" he asked with a voice so small he barely heard it but the younger male could feel the frown on his eyes and the tight line of his lips as he spoke these words.

"Because I can't" was the only response he offered, still under some sort of spell, but this momentary haze couldn't stop the only bitter thought that flooded into his mind, darkening his mood considerably.

He didn't want the other male to see his hideous eyes, the only part of his whole body he was deeply ashamed off…the only one that was _dead_.

With the tip of his fingertips, the redhead touched softly the naked skin again, as if it was something beautiful and incredibly fragile that he was afraid to destroy before he noticed something entirely different that made him frown in worry.

"You're shaking…" the redhead finally stated, retreating his hand from his scorching skin.

The brunet finally closed his lips and turned his face away, the spell that was casted on him broken by the disapproving tone in that voice, leaving only embarrassment behind.

He heard the shuffling of clothes until something heavy and warm was draped over his shoulders.

"Here, this will keep you warm"

The brunet drew properly the offered cloth over his body with a muttered thank you, noticing it was leather, and not a cheap one at that. He took a discreet sniff of the inside. It smelt just like him, that same intoxicating scent he was secretly attracted to.

"But it won't be enough, come on, I'll borrow you some dry clothes" The Sabaku stretched his hand in the brunet's direction; dreading for the rejection that could take place if the pretty boy denied his good-natured attention, but almost after half a minute of silent pondering and furrowed eyebrows, the brunet finally accepted the offered hand with a hesitant of his own. Gaara felt relief and something akin to giddiness wash over him, and he wasn't able to drop the goofy grin that was already placed on his lips.

"Come on, before you catch a cold" the redhead's warm hand tugged gently. The younger boy lifted an eyebrow when he was sure those eyes weren't staring at him, he was completely sure that he felt a smile on those words the other uttered.

______________________________________________________________________________________lineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee____________________________________

-_1 hour before-_

"…and that's the way you prepare pork ramen!" a very energetic blond exclaimed, leaning eagerly over the espresso's machines so he could get a better look of his redheaded friend, who was ignoring him while he prepared a latte absentmindedly.

"Red…is there something wrong?" the blond finally asked after a short pause, noticing how the redhead shifted his gaze from time to time to the antique clock hanging on the wall, looking deeply in thought while he frowned.

The addressed male still inattentive, merely sent him a confused look.

"No…there's nothing wrong…" _he's too bloody late_.

"Of course…" the slightly shorter blond replied with a roll of his pretty blue eyes. He was often considered dense by people because of his natural hair color, sadly, blonds really had a bad reputation considering intellect, and yes, he might not be the sharpest crayon on the box, but he wasn't dense enough to not notice the way the redhead would gaze longingly out the window. A sly smile was rapidly forming on his lips; oh did he know what his friend was thinking about.

"Oh I forgot you always brood when that kid doesn't show up at the café" the blond said while sending him a wink of his ever blue eyes.

Gaara froze before quietly replying, but the slight waver in his voice and the widening of his usually glaring eyes gave away his anxiety. "I don't know what you're talking about"

Naruto's mouth fell open in amazement, Gaara, the cool and composed redhead, nervous?! That was a completely strange sight to behold, but he did not laugh, that would make the redhead violent and nobody wanted an infuriated Gaara.

With a Cheshire cat grin on his face, the blond punched jokingly his friend on the shoulder.

"Yes you do; tall, long dark hair, skinny and hot!" he taunted, winking and nudging him on the ribs.

Gaara quickly turned into defensive mode, an uncharacteristic blush staining cutely his gaunt cheeks.

"I don't know who you're talking about." he countered while handing over the hot beverage to a costumer in an attempt to look busy so the blond would shut his bloody mouth and leave him alone.

Oh, but the taunting never ended when it came to Uzumaki Naruto…

"Yes you do; but now explain for I'm deeply curious, Red, I thought you only had eyes for the ladies"

"I said I don't know who you're talking about!" the headstrong redhead replied a little bit too hastily and loud as he glared at a poor frightened costumer.

"He comes here Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in your shift hour at 6 o'clock sharp, always bringing a guide dog" the blond recited, his mocking smile never wavering.

"Are you stalking me?!?" he cried out, acting not quite like his stoic self and spilling some coffee accidentally on the floor. Gaara only acted clumsy when he got nervous, the Uzumaki had seen it too many times when one of the redhead's exes would appear and demand an explanation for why he had left them.

The overly quite black haired waiter on the other side of the coffee shop sent them a withering look as he wrote down orders on his notepad, a warning clear in his dark eyes.

"RED IS IN LOVE!" the obnoxious blond yelled while waving his hands in the form of an imaginary rainbow, successfully gaining some disapproving stares from the costumers.

"God…can you be any gayer?" the gruff redhead countered, rolling his aquamarine eyes.

Utterly annoyed, Sasuke quickly made his way to the duo holding a glare that could melt glaziers.

"Naruto…I never thought I'd say this to you but shut up your bloody mouth, you're upsetting the costumers!" an angry dark haired Sasuke hissed before he faced the redhead.

"…and you, drop that glare, you're scaring the costumers again!"

The overly cheerful blond let a frown consume his face and stuck his tongue out, ever so childish.

"Well, pardon my enthusiasm, Mr. IHaveNoEmotions."

"keep that tongue inside your mouth unless you want to use it, love" the dark and stoic Uchiha replied, winking salaciously at the blond, who gaped, a furious blush staining his cheeks.

"Y-you…PERVERTED BASTARD!" the blond yelled, drawing all the curious eyes from the customers.

Then, the unconceivable happened. A slight blush crept on the usually blank face of Uchiha Sasuke when he noticed all the stares on his self; he darkly glared at the innocent-looking blond, a tick on his eyebrow, and retreated to his post, plotting presumably of many ways to kill Naruto and leave no evidence behind.

The redhead sighed for what it seemed to be the thousand time that day and dropped his head over the counter, softly hitting it against it.

God, oh why, why did he have to work there of all places?!

________________________________________________________________________________________lineeeeee_________________________________________________

"Just another flight of stairs…" the redhead informed, his firm grip on the other's smooth hand tightening. The brunet felt his heart quicken its pace, he was actually getting anxious without a real reason and his heart was beating very fast, why his heart was so accelerated, he didn't know, but he was sure that it wasn't normal.

The redhead's hands were warm and strong as he leaded him carefully over the steps, and the enthralling scent permeating the leather trench coat that hung over his shoulders gave him a strange sense of comfort, and suddenly he didn't feel so scared of the world right now, those hands made him feel protected and it was quite a nice feeling that warmed his insides comfortingly.

"We finally arrived…" Gaara pulled his hand away from the brunet's reluctantly, as if he didn't really want to let go, and the brunet missed the comforting heat but said nothing. The redhead unlocked the door and pushed it open, offering his hand again to the brunet leaning against the wall.

Neji stood right on the entrance, looking extremely uncomfortable as the older male closed the door, mumbling curses under his breath when he managed to knock over a pile of books.

The Sabaku dropped his shopping bags on the kitchenette and turned on the heater before disappearing from the room. The redhead went to his bathroom closet, took two fresh towels and went back to the living room area, offering a towel to the brunet, who gladly accepted it and proceeded to dry his hair.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" the redhead asked, taking out from his jean's pocket the pack of cigarettes, the brunet shook his head quickly…as if he had a choice in that matter, he thought, trying not to look to tense to the eyes of the other.

There was quickly the sharp smell of smoke creeping to his nose trills rather unpleasantly as the redhead took a long drag, enjoying the first cig of many in that day.

"Do you want something to drink? Tea…beer?" the Sabaku asked playfully while he dumped his umbrella carelessly to a growing mountain of trash, successfully breaking the awkward silence that had been hanging between the two. The younger male, still with his eyes closed, shook his head, carding delicately his damp hair with his hands.

Gaara saw how the boy seemed to be shifting from one foot to the other and he berated himself for not offering him a chair earlier.

"Here" he said, removing a pile of books resting on the only couch on his apartment before he gently pushed the boy to seat on it before he went to his bedroom, opening drawers, closets and shoving some clothes onto his bed, searching for something suitable enough to offer the brunet, but everything seemed too ordinary and unfashionable for someone like Neji to wear; he was only grateful that Neji's height and build was only slightly smaller than his own, so the garments wouldn't be too big on his frame. As he tossed some random clothes to the floor and revealed more underneath, his eyes caught sight of a brand-new pair of jeans that were tighter than the rest of his jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt that he hadn't used in a while; he fished both items out of the mountain of clothes and hoped that his garments would be stylish enough to fit the other boy properly, on his way out he found the only pair of sunglasses he possessed, remembering how he hadn't even put them on since the day he was forced to accept them as a birthday gift from his obnoxiously loud blond friend, no matter his insistence. "_Maybe it's time to take them out for a while" _he thought, taking them and putting them at the top of the pile of clothes in his hands.

The redhead returned to the living room, where the brunet was seated, still with the towel resting on his shoulders, still with his soaked clothes and still looking a bit awkward, and shaking, his leather trench coat not being warm enough to provide the younger boy of much welcomed heat, and the redhead knew why, because even though the heater had been turned on, the room remained dreadfully cold, even more so than when they first arrived.

The redhead pushed the dry, clean clothes on the brunet's hands. "Let me take you to the bathroom." The brunet stood up from his seat and rested a hand on the other's shoulder.

"This is a long-sleeved shirt and these are jeans, I found some sunglasses I'll let you borrow" the redhead said, separating both garments while still in Neji's hands. "And we are in the bathroom now."

The younger male nodded in acknowledgment, muttered a small thank you and shut the door. The redhead scratched the back of his head and trudged back to his living room, noticing for the first time the chaotic state of his dwelling.

His gaze fell on the piles of books scattered randomly across the room, and then to the enormous mountain of dirty dishes on the kitchenette's little sink, to some empty Guinness cans lying atop the coffee table that was right in the middle of the living room, and then his eyes were drawn to the broken remains of a telley he had gotten only three months ago (and that he was, in fact, still paying for it), lying on the farthest corner of the living room, real proof of how his uncontrollable rage fits could get whenever Fullham F.C. lost a game; his eyes then fell on to the opaque, dirtied tilled floor, where he couldn't even see mirrored the soles of his shoes to finally land unceremoniously on the epitome of all this disaster: standing right in the middle of the room and looking rather crossly at his own reflection on a chipped mirror hanging on the opposite wall was no other than himself.

Where was that cozy little flat he had rented five years ago? He mused while he took all the empty beer cans and tossed them carelessly inside a closet. _Oh yes, it went straight to hell._

He was only glad that Neji was blind, so he wasn't able to actually see this disaster.

The bathroom door slung open as the teen walked out, his hair damp and loose over his shoulders, resting atop his nose was the pair of his still brand-new sunglasses, which looked well with his facial structure, and covering his small torso was the borrowed fitted shirt and on his skinny legs the flattering jeans; really, the boy was unnervingly beautiful, no matter what he decided to wear, everything he put on seemed worthy of a catwalk.

"Can I ask you a favor?" the brunet asked uncertainly, gripping the door frame tightly with one hand while with the other he continued to card his hair.

The redhead wondered, was it possible for blind people to be vain?

The redhead, still stupefied by the other teen, cleared his throat before asking,

"Yes?"

"Can you take me home?"

_____________________________________________________________________________________lineeeee__________________________________________________

He couldn't find the right word to describe what he was feeling. The ride back home was...perilous, gut wrenching, seat clutching and heart failing; in all his years habiting this sweet earth had he met someone with driving skills as the redhead, and the brunet had to clutch at his seat belt and pray, how the hell that man had a license? With driving skills so poor he was afraid of his short life being finished way too early. After all, he didn't want to die young. The redhead drove really fast, didn't lower the speed on the curbs and made the tires screech more than once, and if he thought taxi drivers were bad, the redhead gave a new meaning to "bad".

He couldn't believe he would, but right at the moment he missed his annoyingly punctual chauffer, at least he knew how to drive properly.

"Could you please lower the speed? We don't really have to hurry" the brunet urged, clenching his teeth and clutching at his seat with such force his knuckles turned white.

There was a short pause and Gaara finally put an end to his suffering, lowering the speed considerably.

"Sorry…" he finally muttered, voice almost deafened by the loud sound coming out of his stereo, the sound of screeching guitars, powerful drums and the voice of some unknown singer that made his eyes water in pain because of the loud volume that assaulted his very sensitive ears. That he wouldn't tell the oblivious kind man.

There was a sudden halt as he hit the brakes, the engine still purring as he stopped at the address he was told, but the redhead remained quite as he stared with unbelieving eyes at the younger male's _humble_ abode…he knew by the appearance of the dark haired beauty that his house would be fancy, but not _that _fancy.

It was a bloody mansion of grand proportions, with its marble high roman columns, richly decorated French windows and beautiful Eden-like garden it surely was a sight to behold.

His eyes went astray to the younger male's expressionless face and he felt a sudden pang of sadness…of course he wasn't able to admire the possessions he had, he wasn't able to see anything, not even the astonishing beauty he had in himself.

Clearing his throat, the redhead got out of his seat and helped the other out, admiring in the process the beautiful blush staining his cheeks.

"Let me lead you up to the front door" he said, taking a hold of the dainty hand and leading him gently.

But when they had reached scarcely the middle of the path that lead to the mansion, a man opened the double French doors, his face looking completely cold and composed but his eyes were fierce and narrowed with barely contained anger.

"He's waiting for me, isn't he?" the brunet suddenly asked, his hold on the redhead's hand tightening as his eyebrows furrowed, the other male looked from younger male to older, looking completely shocked.

"How could you…?" he trailed off as he stared at the older man's eyes, noticing the strange color they possessed.

"You should get going, my uncle's not very pleased at the moment and when he tends to be enraged he lets other people see it" the younger male said, taking his hand reluctantly away from the warm and soft hand of the other.

"I can't leave you standing here, I'll lead you up to the front door and then I'll go" the redhead replied, taking again the other's hand and rejoicing internally at how a pretty smile was formed on the other's appealing lips because of him.

Upon arriving at their aimed destination the very infuriated and proud man was awaiting, his eyes glaring and his mouth tightly shut, this man looked like an exact replica of Neji, only much older and grim-looking.

Gaara couldn't be less appalled as they approached the calm but fierce looking man, he certainly held an air of overwhelming power and strictness, and he felt suddenly aware of his unkempt state, of how he had horrible bed hair, or the fact that he had his customary eyeshadow on, or how his shoes were too dirty and clothes too simple, at that moment he realized why the brunet dressed so impeccably.

"Neji, who is this?" the man inquired with a soft tenor voice, his white eyes staring at him dead-on with scrutiny, at that moment the redhead wondered if Neji had the same strange eye color.

"A friend" the boy replied, his mouth loosing the small smile it had on a while ago.

A young girl with long dark hair appeared from behind the man; she couldn't be older than six, her round innocent eyes betraying the impish and downright evil gleam they possessed. The redhead felt uncomfortable under her piercing and mocking stare.

And then the redhead felt lost on the conversation when the small girl said something to the man in a foreign language that he vaguely registered as Japanese as she stared at him unblinking then at their joined hands. The brunet seemed not pleased in the least bit as his jaw had clenched as well as his small fists.

The older man directed his gaze to the previously addressed male as he spoke more dictatorially in Japanese, his voice sounding more aggressive and less welcoming.

The redhead already knew what they were talking about, or to be more precise, who. He let his joined hand fall down and with a sad little smile he said goodbye to the boy, turned around and left, and it was only when the car engine had roared to life and then died down in the distance when the brunet felt an impulse to yell at his uncle and at his younger cousin.

"Chelsea appeared earlier, did you know how worried we were?! Anything could have happened to you!"

"Nothing happened to me…"

"And you let this…this stranger take you home?!"

"He did a favor, you know" the younger male remarked.

"He isn't suitable to be your friend, Neji" the older male replied imperiously, standing still as a stone on the mansion's doorway.

"I cannot believe you would treat a friend of mine in such a way!"

"He wasn't properly dressed and he has tattoos and piercings! I won't let my nephew be around such…hooligans!" the Hyuuga elder replied with equal indignation.

"Why the hell does his appearance matter if we can't even see him?!" the younger brunet yelled, making some gardeners and maids stop their daily chores so they could get a better view of the scene.

Hiashi clenched his jaw in raw disapproval.

"Language, Neji!"

"FUCK language! I'm sick of all these pretenses; I'm tired of this madness! Why the hell do you want to have such luxury if you can't enjoy it, why do you like to act as if we are a normal family?! You are not my father and you never will!"

The resounding noise of a slap echoed through the overly quite mansion, the small girl hiding behind her father stared wide eyed at her older cousin as he was slapped, the borrowed sunglasses falling from his face and onto the ground, and she realized in horror upon looking into his eyes, the pure hatred radiating from them. Her father looked reluctant and ashamed even of his actions as Neji touched his abused cheek in silent contemplation. The younger male smiled bitterly, picked the sunglasses off the floor and pushed his uncle away from his path as he made his way inside the cold mansion.

"Neji don't leave, we need to talk" Hiashi said but it was followed by the loud steps of his nephew climbing the stairs.

A loud banging noise of a shutting door was the only answer the older man received.

_____________________________________________________________________________________lineeeee______________________________________________

"You did what!?" a stupefied blond asked, the pint of beer residing in his hand forgotten momentarily as he stared wide eyed at his best friend.

"I won't repeat myself" the redhead muttered, avoiding eye contact and playing with the edge of his schooner glass.

"I still cannot believe you'd do all that! You don't even deign to smile at us, but when it comes to this boy you don't even know you go to the extent of actually cleaning your house, lend clothes and be a goddamn chauffer, you bastard!"

"I couldn't help it...he looked so helpless…"

"Since when do you have a grain of compassion in you, Sabaku?!"

"Shut it, annoying Yankee" the annoyed redhead countered, this time dignifying himself to glare at said blond, who at the sound of that word sprung to his wobbly feet, a glare on his eyes and his fists shaking with barely contained anger.

"Says who, you bloody paddy!"

"Just because my hair is red doesn't mean I'm Irish, but your hair-colour couldn't be more accurate with your lack of intelligence, stupid blond!"

Uchiha Sasuke released a long, insufferable sigh, knowing that this playful fight could end up with bloody noses and a few broken bones as well as a trip to the hospital, so it was time for him to intervene. The Uchiha stood up and placed a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, knowing that the blond was very sensitive with such words as Yankee and anything related to his hair-colour, and he certainly didn't want to end up paying the hospital fee just because of two injured blockheads.

"Calm down, Naruto, come on…sit down" he said, rubbing the tense muscles of his shoulders soothingly, a gesture he needed to do so he wouldn't be the one receiving the blonds' hits. Even though his little pretty receiver had that delicate and defenseless air around him, that blond was unnaturally strong and could definitely beat the hell out of anyone if he was peeved enough.

"Oh shut it, you Japanese bastard!" the blond growled, shoving his hands away.

_Really…where had this racial fight come out from?_ The still calm and composed Uchiha thought as he ignored the jab at his Asian nationality and then sat down on his chair.

"Fine, you two can kill each other for all I care, but I'm not paying for the bloody hospital!"

This seemed to turn the blonds' attention to his moody lover.

"Cheap bastard" he muttered, but he did calmed-down. "So, what were you saying, paddy?"

Both men sat down, both sporting equal grins; the redhead's a little grimier than the blonds'.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes but he was glad that the testosterone frenzy had died down considerably.

"You should have seen his place, Yankee, I felt insignificant with my tiny flat when seeing his bloody mansion"

"Whoa! So he's not only gorgeous and stylish, he's also bloody rich?!" the blond yelled and the left eyebrow from Uchiha Sasuke twitched. He was also rich and attractive, but his blond never made a comment about it and it annoyed him (or so he said so he wouldn't admit that he was_ jealous_…Uchiha's were never jealous!)

"What…are you talking about me, honey?" the dark-haired male asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Of course not, bastard, I was having a conversation with Red, do you mind?"

Oh, so they were best mates now, weren't they…those bloody immature beasts.

"So, how did his family look? Were they grateful? Did they thank you?"

The memory of what transpired on the brunet's place came fresh into his mind, looking like an elaborate scene of some angsty soap opera girls liked to watch.

_Narrowed white eyes staring down at him with disgust, small girl holding a mocking glare while she said something to the father, the pretty brunet actually looking ashamed…_

The redhead sighed, hand still playing with the handle of his schooner glass, his alcoholic beverage thoroughly ignored, when he listened to the couple's bickering that had taken place while he was thinking of the brunet.

"Stop talking like that of other people or I'll find myself a smarter blond" the angry Uchiha retorted hotly, smirking when the comment made his boyfriend hiss.

"You do that and I'll chop your dick off with a butcher knife!"

The expression on the Uchiha's face when he heard those words was downright hilarious, for he had turned white, a horrified look on his face as he faced his boyfriend, who looked oddly serious, and the redhead couldn't help but to chuckle softly, but he still looked pretty much depressed to the eyes of his blond friend.

"But why are you so sad? You actually got to see his place and he got to be on your flat, this is definitely going somewhere, mate!"

"…That is if his father doesn't forbid him to see me anymore…" the redhead sulkily replied, downing more than a half of the glasses' content in one swig.

"Stop being so bloody pessimistic and be happy!"

The redhead ignored his comment and asked the bartender for some harder liquor.

"Uhm…I take they didn't like your appearance?" the blond asked, looking concerned.

"Well…I think so" the redhead pressed his face against the cool wood of the table and sighed, feeling completely trashed.

"Snobbish gits!" the blond cried, managing to spill his drink all over the place. The young Uchiha shook his head, taking the pint of beer from the blonds' grasp in a motherly way.

"That's quite enough for you"

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"Neji…please open the door!" a voice pleaded but the brunet refused to acknowledge it, he pushed his head further onto one fluffy pillow, his hair tickling his face as he closed his eyes. His stomach growled with barely contained hunger but he refused to have dinner, his pride was far too wounded.

"Come on…at least let me in and talk to me" the soft voice beseeched. The brunet lifted his head, locks of brown hair falling over his shoulders.

"I know what happened earlier…Hanabi told me, please let me in"

The Hyuga stood up from his bed and lazily made his way across the room, hand hovering over the door's handle uncertainly.

"Please…" the voice whispered and that was all he needed to hear. He promptly opened the door.

"Here, I sneaked some food for you" his gentle cousin said happily, pushing a tray onto his hands and he smiled softly, thanking her for her kind attention before setting the tray down on his computer desk.

"So tell me all about this friend of yours, Neji!" the normally shy girl pressed as she flopped down on his unmade bed.

The boy almost chocked on some orange juice, a blush creeping its way to his cheeks.

"Hanabi told me you two were grasping hands!"

"Hinata!" the boy reprimanded, coughing slightly.

"I'm still surprised at your choice of men, Neji, but Hanabi told me that he was attractive, a little scary but still attractive"

"-it's not like that…he just gave me a ride, that's all!" the flustered brunet cried out, dinner pushed to the side.

"Did she…did she tell you how he looked like?" the brunet asked, a small blush on his face as he asked such a question. The white-eyed girl smiled fondly at the older Hyuuga, instantly noticing how her usually proud cousin had asked her about that while wearing a small blush on his cheeks.

"She said that he was tall, taller than you and that his eyes were green and his hair red, he had a few piercings and a tattoo on his forehead."

Hyuuga Neji smiled softly while he took off the borrowed sunglasses and played with it, even though he still didn't have a clue as in what the colors red and green were, this was by far the most detailed and still the only description he heard so far about that interesting stranger.

"These are his" he whispered, touching softly the sunglasses' frame with his fingers.

"They look good on you" the girl commented, marveling on how her usually proud and cold cousin seemed to look more human and dare she said happy when talking about this mystery man.

"Hanabi also told me that you came back wearing other clothes…but that she didn't tell dad…care to explain?"

The brunet turned red at the implications of her words, he was still innocent, but he wasn't naïve enough not to know the connotations.

"It rained when I was lost, he led me to his house and leant me those clothes…"

"And he gave you a ride too, didn't he?" she asked softly, smoothing out the pink fabric of her dress.

The older boy nodded, taking a small bite of a caramelized apple leftover they had for brunch.

"This is highly suspicious, Neji, why would he bother to do all that for a stranger?"

"Because he's a good person…?" the boy replied, but his own words came out as a question.

"I have two theories, now, don't act too scandalized for what I have to say, alright?"

The brunet nodded, setting the now empty trail aside as he prepared himself for what the girl had to say.

"One, he's really a kind person"

The boy almost chocked on his own spit at the obvious answer the girl had provided.

"Two, he is attracted to you"

The Hyuuga had a different reaction this time, his cheeks went aflame and his blind eyes lowered to where he assumed was the floor.

"Either way, you must be careful, Neji…father's right, you can't rely that much on a stranger…" the girl said, twirling a long strand of dark hair in between her fingers.

"There's another thing I want to know, cousin…" she paused to think of a good way to put her words "-how did you manage to lose Chelsea?"

"I had an assault…" the boy said, eyes looking hopeful, the girl's eyes widened with sheer surprise.

"But…didn't you use to have assaults when you still had a chance to…" the girl trailed off weakly, afraid to upset her cousin if she didn't put her words carefully.

"That's the point, Hinata" the boy exclaimed, taking her hands into his and squeezing them.

"I haven't had an assault since 7 years ago…so maybe that means that-"

"It can mean that, but please don't get your hopes high...I don't want you to be sad like last time" the girl interrupted, a sad frown on her face as she caressed his hands soothingly.

"I guess you're right" the boy said, a faraway look on his face as he stared emptily at the wall.

"You should visit the doctor, though…maybe this time god listened to our prayers" Hinata said, squeezing his hands gently in a comforting gesture.

Boy and girl smiled to each other, twin gazes hopeful, even though a pair of eyes were dead.

'_And maybe…just maybe this time, I will get my sight back'_ the boy thought wistfully to himself.

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A/N: so there it is! REVIEWW PLEASE!


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